that's it for us. thanks for watching, early start begins now. the final factor. four days before america votes, we are about to get the last pre-election numbers on jobs in our economy. >> i got nothing left. memories or anything else. everything is ruined. ruined. >> survivors of hurricane sandy still waiting for help. they are worrying about the future. good morning to you. welcome to "early start." >> it is 5:00 a.m. in the east.

we are going begin with a sprint to the finish line. the last major hurdle in the way. the october jobs report will be released in three and a half hours. both the obama and romney campaign hope the numbers will help them in the race. it's too close to call right now. christine romans is going to have a look at it. christine? >> let's talk about what we are expecting in the final economic report before tuesday. in three and a half hours, we'll find out what happens for jobs and the unemployment rate. the expectation is the unemployment rate is 7.9%, picking up slightly with 125,000 jobs added in the month. the trend, though, is what is so important here, right? sometimes you get a little in the month. the trend is what's important.

7.8% was the unemployment rate when the president took office. last month, he's back to where he started. february, 2009, that's the stimulus. then the unemployment rate rise up to 10% in october, 2009 as the stimulus money was being deployed. stubbornly high unemployment. then drifting lower much of this year. we can look at job creation and you can see how jobs have been added now since the end of 2010 consistently, but not robustly. this is where the arguments come about the job market. has it been strong enough? no. who is at fault and what can fix it? that's what voters decide on tuesday. >> it's the implications of this. we'll be joined by grover nor quis, sheila bair, robert gibbs, ken rogoff.

a lot to talk about. there will be a howerhouse team. >> it's a lot of perspective there. the countdown is on less than three and a half hours away. we'll broke down the numbers as soon as they come out. she is standing by. >> christine and ali velshi will host a one-hour special, analyze the jobs report and what it all means for the presidential election. no matter what the jobs report says obama and romney campaigns will be in a virtual non-stop rush to election day. the election is about the economy as you know. a national public radio poll, 57% say economic issues are most likely to affect their vote. in an abc news/washington post poll 47% believe romney would do a better job hand mg the

economy. romney is more likely to improve the job situation compared to 42% for president barack obama. paul, i know you love these numbers. it's down to the wire now. i have the campaign schedule. it's crazy. what do they have planned on the final days to the race? >> it's all about location, location, location in the final four days of campaigning before the election. look at the map and where the president will be. look at the map and you get a sense of ohio, ohio, ohio is pretty important. the president making a number of stops in ohio and iowa. he's going end his campaign in iowa. this is the place where he got his first victory in january, 2008. if you look at the map for romney as well, a lot in ohio as well. other states there, one in particular is pennsylvania. he will be there spending one day over the weekend and so will

his running mate, paul ryan. are they trying to put pennsylvania in play, a move of strength or desperation. they have different answers on that one. >> we are going dig deeper into that later. gloves are off on the campaign trail. let's take a listen. >> in the closing weeks of the campaign, romney is using his talents as a salesman to dress up the very same policies that failed our country so badly. the same policies we have been cleaning up after these past four years and offering them up as change. >> a lot of people are hurting. they don't want to see another four years like the last four. do you want to see four more years with 23 americans struggling for good jobs? >> no! >> he took a break because of superstorm sandy, but now there's a lot of rhetoric. >> here is one reason why. take a look at this.

the race is extremely tight right now. here is the national cnn poll. the survey is out over the last week and a half. average them together. it's as close as you can get. look at these numbers, colorado is one of the eight battleground states. a very, very close contest. ift's why you hear the rhetoric and the candidates going to the battleground states in the last four days. >> paul steinhauser, thank you. >> we are talking chairs this morning. actor clint eastwood appeared on fox news to talk about his whacky republican national convention speech and how it came to be, how the chair came to be on stage with him talking to it. in case you missed the speech, here it is. >> what do you want me to tell romney? i can't tell him to do that. can't do that to himself. you're absolutely crazy.

you're getting as bad as biden. >> now the acting, directing legend says it was an ad lib, which was obvious at the time. let's listen. >> i have to give john vioght a pat on the back. i was sitting with him and a couple other people talking about the economy. he said why doesn't anybody in hollywood ever speak up. i said he's right, we are kind of chicken. the chair idea, that came out of the air. i was sitting there and the guy behind the stage said here, you want to sit down? i said no, but take it out and set it next to the podium. he said you want to sit down? i said no, put it there. i said that's stupid, why did i do that. afterwards, people came out and

said it was fun. >> there you have it. on a more serious note, he said he's not happy with how obama handled the attack in mbenga sa. four days to go before the election, biden read the top ten good things about voting early. here are a few highlights. >> single, looking to mingle. find that special someone in the early voting. if you vote early, you don't have to pay taxes. i'm sorry. i'm told that's not accurate. don't you want this election over with already? >> in four days, it will be election night in america. cnn coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. >> eight minutes past the hour. the destruction left behind superstorm sandy. gasoline is in short supply.

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go national. go like a pro. welcome back, everyone. now to the latest on the damage and destruction from superstorm sandy. the storm killed at least 88 people now in the u.s. nearly 3.5 million customers in the eastern united states are still without power. damage estimates are staggering ranging from $30 billion to $50 billion. the new york city burrow of staten island was hit. angry residents are crying out for help. today, homeland secretary janet napolitano will visit staten island with fema. new york city's subway system is still down. other tunnels are without power

because they are located in parts of the city in the darks. a new problem flaring up, they are running out of gas. cars and gas powered generators. a lot of people are using those. frustration turning into anger and rage on long lines across the tri-state area. the shortages may not end for another week. people waiting for hours, some waiting for so long, the gas stations actually close without them getting a single drop of fuel. rob is following all of this. rob, i was driving in at 2:30 a.m. and there was a line for gas that looks like it was three hours long at 2:30 a.m. this is bad. >> reporter: yeah, it's crazy. that may be the average. anywhere from a half mile long to, in some cases in new jersey a full mile long to get gasoline. the problem is two-fold. you have gas stations out of power and unable to pump.

you have some with power but they don't have gasoline. why? many shut down before the storm. a lot of them were damaged during the storm. we don't have the supply coming in. governor chris christie gave authorization for the gas stations to buy that supply from out of state. it's not usually done to alleviate the problem. it's going to take time. we were running out of gas as well. we were going to shoot gas stations with a long line, by the time we found one, we were out of gas as well. tempers were flaring. take a look and listen to how people were dealing with it. >> i have to make three trips to this gas station. >> a little tank, you have to fill it up three times. just to get home. it still might not make it. >> any other gas stations with gas? >> no other gas stations with gas. >> i'm broke down. i'm stranded. i can't get home.

no gas. >> reporter: this affects everybody from delivery cabs to people delivering food to people wanting to get home. i don't think the problem is going to be alleviated anymore soon. you mentioned mta, there are a few trains back online. commuter railroads as well. southern manhattan, it's still dark around me. the best way of action, either because it's forced upon you or because you choose to be, maybe by foot. the gas situation is a serious one going forward. >> what is the latest on the power restoration in manhattan, new jersey and other places? >> reporter: you aren't unfortunately, the estimates aren't much improved, maybe delayed a day or two. this is day four. lower manhattan would take four days to see recovery. we haven't seen a lot of lights. lower manhattan, up to seven or

eight days. the outer borrows, the numbers echoed for new jersey. you have the below the ground problem where you have to dry out the infrastructure and repair. the aboveground problem where it's a manpower thing. you have to clear the lines from the debris. you have to get trained linemen in here. a lot of them coming from out of state. there's so many trees and power lines down it's going to take that long to get everybody back up and running. >> rob, thanks very much. gasoline shortages aren't the only problem facing residents in the garden state. he tried to comfort people who lost everything. governor christie signs an executive order declaring a state of water emergency. that clears the way for water use restrictions across the state. total devastation, those are the words used by the police

chief of jersey shore. two piers that had been amusement parks collapsed in the storm dumping the roller coaster and other rides into the sea. look at that. >> it's going to be hard to leave during that. this is your home that has been destroyed. for more information on superstorm sandy, check out cnn.com/impact. coming up, it's all about the jobs. we are hours away from the final employment numbers before election day. how the numbers are shaping up in the states that could decide the race. [ female announcer ] introducing yoplait greek 100. 100% new. 100% mmm... wow, that is mmm... it's so mmm you might not believe it's a hundred calories. new yoplait greek 100. it is so good.

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hey, good morning to you. welcome back. we are minding your business. stock futures are flat ahead of the opening bell. everyone and i mean everyone is waiting for the jobs report. >> we are three hours away now. christine romans is here with a look at the jobs in the key swing states. >> the polls are very, very tight. look at the swing states. this is where the votes are going to decide this election. i want to show you the unemployment rates, nevada, 11.8%. colorado still 8%. wisconsin, ohio, new hampshire, virginia, florida, iowa. look at iowa, 5.2%. it's essentially full employment in iowa but they are concerned

about debt, deficit and the quality of jobs you are getting. let's start with the ohio jobless rates. no gop candidate won an election without winning ohio. ohio makes presidents. today, 7% is the unemployment rate, less than when the president took office. that is better than the national average. they have been adding manufacturing jobs. not as many by any stretch of the imagination that they lost. look at florida and the trend of the jobless rate in florida. it's exactly where it was when the president took office. still higher than the national average. it has been coming down. housing is still a major issue here. in virginia, 13 electoral votes, jobless rate is low now. a 5.9% in virginia. but, it's still higher than when the president took office. essentially flat in virginia. it's going to be interesting because superstorm sandy could

have an effect. power outages there. we don't know what tuesday is going to look like. that was a state affected by sandy. all of those really interesting trends, different trends for unemployment. >> what is the cut-off date for the numbers? the end of the month? >> it was two weeks in the middle of the month. you are not going to have sandy impacts in these numbers for the october jobless reports. they are not in the numbers. >> interesting. thank you so much. the jobs report is likely to impact voters in the state of ohio. we are going hone in there. our chief business correspondent is going to join us from toledo. you can watch anytime on your desktop or mobile phone. go to cnn.com/tv. look, if you have copd like me,

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will it be a november surprise? new jobs figures due with four days to go before election day. >> we are going to die. you don't understand. you have to get help. now. >> desperate, desperate hours in the disaster zone. they are going on four days without power and heat. sometimes without food. it is tough in a lot of places. welcome back to early start. >> it's tough to listen to the cries for help. thanks for being with us. 27 minutes past the hour. will the jobs report have an

impact on the results of the presidential election which is four days away? >> we want to get fantastic insight on this. we turn to ali velshi. he's in ohio. ohio is the most important state. ali is there. good morning. tell me what's going on there. >> reporter: good morning, john. you are right. it is not only important like virginia, florida and other swing states. they are swing states for a reason. they are tight. it's based on getting out the vote and nudging that small and increasingly smaller pie of independent or uncommitted voters. it's why the jobs numbers is going to be so crucial. for years, we talked about the economy being the issue. for most americans, jobs topped the list. some are more prosperous and those who lean republican, the

debt and deficit edge out. many millions of americans unemployed or not working in a job they like, the numbers are more important. let's go back to 2008. before that, remember the recession started beginning 2008. if you look at four years ago today, we are not better off from an unemployment situation than we were. what we are better off in is a general economic situation. i saw a sign in ohio that said no, president obama, we are not better off. look at the number of jobs we were losing before president obama took office and in the early months. what you see as a general trend, we have seen the job losses and job creation begin and we have seen all of the jobs lost during the four years of the obama administration regained. that is what you are going to hear from president obama at 8:30 this morning when the jobs

numbers come out. we are certain it will be positive, create 125,000 jobs. if it's less than 100, republicans are going pounce on that. if it's more than 150 or close to 200, obama administration is going to go on that. what you are going to hear about is the unemployment rate, 7.8%. it drops, probably going go to 7.9%. christine will explain why the job loss and creation numbers are different from unemployment. the bar chart is the more important number. the bottom line is, all you are going to hear is spend and we are going tell you what matters. it is going to be a deciding factor for many voters. >> the jobs number is a number you see. you have been on the ground in ohio. we want to know what it feels like there when it comes to jobs. what are people saying? >> reporter: yeah. so, you know ohio has been hard

hit. i was in youngstown, the second biggest deal maker in the country after philadelphia, autos and crushed in the auto crisis. they have a plant there called the lower south plant that makes jeep. this is heavy union country. we are in a swing county right now. the unemployment rate in ohio as christine pointed out is lower than the national average. who do you hold responsible for that and who do you credit for that? i spoke with one woman who gave a sense of what the issue is. this woman in her 50s, a flight attendant who worked for continental airlines for 20 years, lost her job. she got a bachelor's degree, then a masters degree. she's earning close to minimum wage. it's hard to make the case for higher education. we know, statistically it gives you a better chance of not being

unemployed. >> it's hard for me to talk to the younger generation or the generation that's my age when you say you went to college and you owe $60,000 in loans and you not making no more than a person working at mcdonald's. >> reporter: not making anymore than a person that works at mcdonalds. the issue isn't just the quantity of jobs, it's the quality of jobs. >> ali velshi on the ground in ohio. thanks very much. later on, grover nor norquist. we'll have an incredible cnn team there as well. we are covering it from every angle. >> that jobs report is three hours away. christine will bring us the numbers the minute they come

out. >> at 9:00 a.m., ali velshi and christine will be back with an hour special. what it means for you and the presidential election. let's bring in cnn con transcribe ewe tor for a closer look at the politics headed into election week. we just listened to ali as he was talking about a woman who has a bachelor's, a masters and now making minimum wage. i want to put projections up here. they are predicted 125,000 jobs added which puts unemployment at roughly 7.9%. if we get back to the 8%, could it hurt the president? i'm going to start with you, michael? >> the important thing here is when the jobs report came out last month, republicans response was not this is good for america, it's the president is

lying. they are making up the statistics. i can only hope if the jobs numbers are good, this is good for america. i was in ohio last weekend. i saw people thanking the president and the auto bailout because they have jobs again. all americans, republican or democrats, we should think if the numbers are positive, it's good for america, all americans. >> we are trying to define what positive means, what is your take on that? >> i wasn't one of those people who thought the numbers were rigged last month somehow. the problem was the unemployment rate fell 7.8% because so many part time jobs were reclassified as full time jobs. it's a big burden. it's not just the number of jobs, but the quality of jobs that matter. were the number to go down further than 7.8%, which i don't believe is going to happen.

does it help the president? maybe the margins. most people are locking in their vote. i don't think any major news this week, unless it's a huge scandal is going to change their vote. i think most people started to lock in their vote already and reinforce people's votes. we are talking a few people undeci undecided. >> i want to stay with you and focus on pennsylvania here. that's where romney is headed on sunday according to his schedule here. paul ryan is going to be here saturday. is this a show of strength or is it desperation? >> you know, honestly, i'm not sure. i hate to play the spin game. i have two thoughts. one, they decided ohio is out of balance. from what i hear they don't think so. they are opening up a new front in pennsylvania. if you look at bucks county in pennsylvania, romney is doing

very, very well there. it's giving them positive signs as well as wisconsin. the fact of the matter if they have florida, north carolina and virginia, a lot of people think they might, throw in colorado, you don't need ohio. the question becomes, are they losing ohio or not and are they opening a new front? talking to republicans, they think they have ohio. it's going to be close, but they are doing okay and they see the map expanding, not contracting. >> michael is shaking his head no. are they making up for it? >> if romney thought he could get ohio, he would be there. john mccain did the same thing in 2008. he went to pennsylvania on sunday before election day, he lost by ten points. >> i want to talk about something that is interesting to me. calling it an endorsement was new york city's mayor michael bloomberg endorsed president

obama but didn't shower him with praise. in 2008 obama ran as a pragmatic problem solver. as president, he devoted little time and effort to the coalition of sen trysts which doomed hope on illegal guns, job creation and deficit reduction. this is an endorsement. your reaction to this? you read it fully. >> the president had a number of republicans come out in favor of him. colin powell, the effect of an endorsement. the president tried getting republicans in washington to work with him. when they said the number is to have a one-term president. mitch mcconnell said it's difficult to work in washington when their agenda is to get rid of you. >> i don't think it does.

mayor mike bloomberg wants to take away guns, cigars and big gulps. ohio and other states big on the second amendment. he's not positive. i expect the obama administration to not tout it. it may help in philadelphia. other states don't like him. >> gentlemen, eric erickson and michael, editor and chief of global grind.com thank you for being with us. >> of course. >> every vote counts i mean does it count? we asked early voters to share their stories. we are calling this voter grass. first up, michelle studying abroad in sweden said she voted early because she's out of the country. big issues, the economy and

debt. >> this voter voted for president obama. he says he took his 88-year-old mother-in-law and 98-year-old father-in-law to vote because they may not get many more chances to share the experience. >> we want you to send us your votergraph. cnn.com/early start. it is the candidates final push before the big vote. will battleground states hold surprises? anderson cooper takes a closer look. you are going to watch america's choice 2012 countdown to election day on sunday night, 8:00 eastern. next, tired of being treated like the other burrow? staten island hit hard by hurricane sandy. they are begging the government for help. i mean it when i say begging. they are criticizing the mayor's

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homeland security secretary janet napolitano is going to staten island to inspect there. yesterday, two boys ages 2 and 4 were found after an suv got stuck. chuck shumer toured the devastation yesterday. they got an earful from residents who pleaded with the government. they expect more bodies to be found in the coming days. it is a grim situation. brian is live there. what is the latest? >> reporter: john, this place has the look of a bombed out war zone. it is pitch black out here except for our lights, of

course. neighbors tell us this was the home of an elderly couple. the couple did get out in time and apparently were not hurt. that's the fortunate news. unfortunate is that the home is leveled. the roof of the home is almost to the ground. you can't see it from here. it's slanting down toward the ground. about all that's left of it, this table and chairs. people are bringing items to their front lawns to try to salvage them and see if relatives can pick up stuff. here is a clock someone is trying to salvage. the residents are very, very bitter over what they say is a slow response of relief officials and others getting to the place and trying to help the neighbors still walking around in a state of shock. one of the local residents spoke to reporters yesterday as we were arriving on the scene. her name is donna. take a listen.

>> we are going die if we get killed with the weather. we are going to die. we are going to freeze. we got 90-year-old people. >> this afternoon. >> please. we have no cars. don't you see, we need -- president obama, please listen to us down here. we are going to die. you don't understand, you have to get your trucks here, now. >> we are trying -- >> this is a big day. >> reporter: obviously people still very, very angry, at least two days after the storm. they complain relief agencies still have not gotten here. fema started to have a presence here yesterday. the red cross started to arrive yesterday. according to residents like donna soli and others, it was not fast enough. the burrow president, james

complained bitterly about that toward the red cross. we were told the red cross and other state agencies were running shelters here yesterday afternoon. john? >> there's a lot of controversy and frankly, confusion over the status of the new york city marathon. it is still scheduled for sunday. the mayor says it's going to go on. it starts in staten island. what are residents saying about this? >> reporter: residents are not really holding back much emotion on that. they are saying that marathon should not be run. the residents aren't the only people. local congressmen were says that at a briefing we went to not far from here. they don't know why the marathon is being run when people in this burrow are in such dire need. the marathon starts here and goes across the bridge. people here are just incredibly frustrated about that. mayor bloomberg said the marathon will not divert

resources from the needs of the people in the city, but the people here are in dire need. we just drove through lower manhattan. it's pitch black there. there's no power there. there's a lot that has to be done to get the city back up to speed if things are going to return to normal. >> brian todd, thanks for that report. >> we were talking about the marathon and there are so many people scheduled in hoe toles and so many people displaced in the hotels. what do you do? >> the marathon pumps millions and millions of dollars into the new york economy. >> those are normal circumstances. i hear you. this is a tough one. tough call. 47 minutes past the hour. next on early start, another storm could be in the works headed for storm wary folks in the east. we'll show you the latest projection live from our weather center.

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welcome back to "early start." the preelection unemployment numbers are due out in less than three hours. analysts are expected to show 125,000 jobs created and unemployment up to 7.9%. >> we will bring it to you live. you will not believe the television we have planned for you around this event. it is a big event. stay with us for that. meanwhile, obama and romney

campaigns are watching the numbers in a campaign frenzy over the final four days. they make three stops today in the big prize state of ohio. romney delivering a closing argument speech in wisconsin before heading to the buckeye state for evening rallies. >> people caught in sandy's path want to hear about is another storm. cnn meteorologist alexander steele has more. we love you, but we were saying go away. go away. >> not a good time. >> okay. i'll go away in a minute. will the storm go away? crucial states, pennsylvania, ohio, will they be impacted? computer models, like we saw with sandy running. computer models had a nor'easter developing and move sboog the northeast. this is the lathest. this was monday into tuesday. here comes this super storm, hopefully not. this developing area of low

pressure will become a nor'easter. this has it a little bit slower, so impacting virginia south of washington with the rain on tuesday. then it moves and you can see on wednesday what it does to new england. if it's faster and farther west. certainly, worth monitoring. this is the latest computer model. it was moving in on tuesday, election day. we'll have to wait. certainly, this is a good indication a nor'easter is developing. where will it go? how fast will it get there? historically, we see foul weather how rain and snow impacts voters on election day. about an inch of rain, 1% lower turnout. an inch of snow, a half percent. the wild card guys are dealing with power outages, storm damage and travel in the northeast. it will be cold.

highs on tuesday only in the upper 30s and 40s. so, a lot weather wise we'll contend with for tuesday. >> right now, the forecast has it over virginia on tuesday, election day. in virginia, it's tied right now. >> absolutely. keeping an eye on that. we'll have to see if it moves in and farther north to pennsylvania, north and west to ohio, too. >> that could be a big story. thank you very much. 54 minutes after the hour right now. before we come back, sandy before and after. stunning images of the destruction on the jersey shore. [ female announcer ] introducing yoplait greek 100. 100% new. 100% mmm... wow, that is mmm... it's so mmm you might not believe it's a hundred calories. new yoplait greek 100. it is so good. new yoplait greek 100. try running four.ning a restaurant is hard,

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welcome back, everyone. 57 minutes after the hour now. john here along with zoraida sambolin. >> before and after satellite images from stateside heights, new jersey where the mtv show was shot. this is september, 2010. then the same place on halloween. the roller coaster that sat at the end of the pier is resting on the ocean floor. much of it intact. heart breaking and hard to believe especially for residents or anyone who spent a summer or prom weekend there. it's devastating, isn't it? you can check out other top cnn trends. head to cnn.com/trends. >> they are tough times. there are those trying to coax a smile in the aftermath of this. late night hosts got mileage out

of new york city's recovery plan. when it comes to the car pool rule, they all hit the gas. >> tonight, may i ask -- may i ask who this gentleman is? >> it's chris, right? >> yeah. >> hi, chris, how you doing? >> i didn't know chris was coming. >> bloomberg said you have to have three people in the car so -- >> you know to get into new york city, if you are in a private car, you have to have three passengers or more to enter new york city. today, i had to car pool in with the girl's from "the view." new york city is still dealing with the effects of hurricane sandy. because of all the congestion in the city, mayor bloomberg is only allowing cars with three

passengers to drive into manhattan. you can't cross the bridge with a bunch of empty seats. it's confusing for clint eastwood. i have four obama's in the car. >> early start continues right now. will it be the final factor? four days before america votes we're about to get the last pre-election numbers on jobs and our economy. >> please, i can't. i can't do it anymore. >> i know. >> i got nothing left. memories or anything else. >> survivors of hurricane sandy still waiting for help and worrying about the future. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start" i'm john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. it is 6:00 a.m. in the east and we begin with the last real economic barometer before tuesday's election. the labor department releases the october jobs report about

2 1/2 hours from now. jobs and the economy, of course, are primary issues out on the campaign trail. with president obama and mitt romney running so close, this morning's jobs report takes on even more significance. christine romans is previewing the report for us. and paul steinhauser is looking at the political impact. let's start this morning with christine. >> good morning, you guys. the last big economic hurdle before the election on tuesday, and this is what economists surveyed by cnn money are expecting. the unemployment rate to tick up to 7.9%, and then the separate part of that survey that looks at how many jobs were created, up 125,000. 125,000 net new jobs. but it is the trend in the unemployment rate that's been getting so much attention. because this unemployment rate has now gone back to where it was when mr. obama took office as president. in january of 2009, it was 7. %. there was a stimulus in february 2009. hundreds of billions of dollars spent into the economy, the unemployment rate kept rising to

10% before moving slowly lower now to 7.8%. again the forecast is for it to pick up in october to 7.9%. let's take a look at the job creation trends. that's the other part of this story. you can see when the president took office hundreds of thousands of jobs being lost every month. that was the financial crisis and the recession. then it has been slow, very slow incremental gains in jobs since then over the past couple of years. there has been job creation. month after month after month. but some months have not been even robust enough to absorb new entrants into the workforce. that's where it gets political you guys. the question is, has this been good enough, has the president made it better or worse, and could mitt romney do better? that's what everyone will decide on tuesday. >> that's what they'll be fighting about starting today at about 8:30 today eastern time. christine romans, thanks very much. later on "starting point" soledad will be joined by grover norquist, sheila bair, robert gibbs, ken rogoff, a cast of

thousands. there will be a powerhouse cnn team, christine romans, ali velshi, erin burnett, candy crowley. the countdown is on. less than 2 1/2 hours away. christine will bring us the jobs report as soon as they come out. >> at 9:00 eastern, christine and chief business correspondent ali velshi will host that one-hour special that we were telling you about, analyzing the final jobs report before the big vote and what it means for the presidential election. >> and with just four days left before that election, president obama and mitt romney are back on message, stressing their economic credentials. the candidates are making a final, frantic push in the battleground states and this morning they're laying out their closing arguments in op-ed just published on krb.com. we have it. our website. romney on unemployment, we've watched as one party has pushed through its agenda without compromising with the other party. we watched gridlock and petty conflict dominate while chronic unemployment go unaddressed. the bickering has to end. i will end it.

president obama, defending his record. the war in iraq is over, osama bin laden is dead, and our heroes are coming home. our businesses have created more than 5 million new jobs in the last 2 1/2 years, home values and 401(k)s are rising. we are less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last 20 years and the american auto industry is back on track. very much on message. today they're saying it on cnn.com, special op-eds that only we have. cnn political editor paul steinhauser is live in washington this morning. paul, this is the campaign weekend of the election. the biggest push there is. we only see it every four years. the final weekend. what do the campaigns have planned? >> it's all about location, location, location. let's go right to the map. here's where the president is going to be starting today, straight through election day. you can see ohio, ohio, ohio. the president's going to be in ohio each of the final four days. he also has got two trips to iowa. he's going to end his campaign on monday night in iowa.

in iowa he gained his first victory in the caucuses back in 2000 ohio. romney, ohio, ohio, ohio. he's going to be there just about as many times as the president. take a look at the northeast. pennsylvania. mitt romney is going to be there over the weekend as is his running mate paul ryan. very interesting what's going on here, as mitt romney trying to expand the map. is it a sign of strength or a sign of desperation that he can't win some other states and he needs pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes? polls have tightened in pennsylvania. the president's lead is down to single digits. >> explain the different argument there. democrats say it's a sign of weakness, republicans say it's a sign of strength. >> the obama campaign is saying just that that mitt romney is not doing well in some of the other crucial battleground states like ohio, iowa, wisconsin, that he needs in a sign of desperation to win somewhere else. the romney campaign says they're doing fine in those states but they see the polls closing in in pennsylvania. they think they can expand, as well. we'll find out on november 6th which side is right. >> paul steinhauser live in washington. thank you so much. as we mentioned you can read

some of the final words of the campaign from both president obama and mitt romney in op-eds just published on cnn.com. actor clint eastwood, a romney supporter, appeared on fox news last night to talk about his wacky republican national speech and how he came to be onstage talking to an empty chair, as if president obama was sitting in it. and in case you missed it, here it is. >> what do you want me to tell romney? i can't tell him to do that. that -- can't do that to himself. you're absolutely crazy. you're getting as bad as biden. >> well now the acting and directing legend says that was all ad-libbed, as if we didn't know. >> jon voigt had on the back because i was sitting with him

and a couple other people commiserating about the situation with the economy and everything and he said, why doesn't anybody in hollywood ever speak up? and i thought, yeah, you know, he's right. he's right. we are kind of chicken. and the chair idea, that just came out of the air, you know. i was sitting there, and the guy behind the -- the stage said, here you want to sit down? and i said no but why don't you take that out and sit it next to the podium. he said oh, you want to sit down? i said no, no just put it there. at the time i thought that was really stupid, why did i do that? then afterwards people started coming up to me, well, that was fun. >> and on a serious note eastwood also said he isn't happy with how the obama administration handled the attack in benghazi. vice president joe biden took time off on the campaign trail to appear on the late show with david letterman. last night with four days to go before the election biden read the top ten good things about voting early. here's the highlights.

>> find that special someone in the early voting line. if you vote early you don't have to pay taxes. i'm sorry. i'm being told that's not accurate. honestly. don't you want this election over with already? >> yes, we do. >> it's hard to tell when joe biden's joking sometimes. >> single and mingle? eight minutes past the hour. in just four days with the election night in america, cnn's live election coverage will begin at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. >> eight minutes after the hour right now. ahead on "early start," fuel fights, anger and frustration, boil over on long lines for gas in the aftermath of sandy. see what's behind the shortage. coming up next. [ female announcer ] a classic meatloaf recipe from stouffer's starts with ground beef, unions, and peppers baked in a ketchup glaze with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. what makes stouffer's meatloaf best of all? that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. let's fix dinner.

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an update from superstorm sandy. the massive storm has killed at least 92 people in the united states. nearly 3.5 million customers in the eastern united states are still without power this morning. and damage estimates are staggering. they are ranging from 30 billion to $50 billion. >> the new york city borough of staten island was especially hard hit and three days after sandy struck, angry residents are crying out for help. today homeland secretary janet napolitano will visit staten island with a top official from fema to survey the recovery efforts. and new york city's crippled subway system is slowly getting back up to speed but several subway tunnels are still out of commission until all the water can be pumped out of them. other tunnels are without power because they're located in parts of stet that are still in the

dark. an increasing problem still flaring in the disaster zone, running out of gas. for cars and for gas power generators, true frustration turning into anger and then into rage on long lines all across the tristate area. officials say the shortages may not end for another week. >> pligs have even been called in to keep the peace at gas stations in new york and new jersey. rob marciano is following the rush. he is live at the brooklyn bridge. and berman and i are carpooling in the morning. the lines were absolutely outrageous. i believe at that point we were in connecticut. people are traveling very far to try to find gas. >> as far north as an hour from here, just to find some gas. because you go to the boroughs of manhattan and certainly new jersey, a lot of gas stations don't have power. those that do have power don't have the gasoline. why? the refineries in new jersey that supply a lot of the stations around here were shut

down before the storm and during the storm some of them were damaged. governor chris christie has authorized the folks to buy gas from out of state and bring that in. and hopefully alleviate the situation. it is certainly dire and the lines are very, very long. we went out to go shoot that story and we actually started to run out of gas. when you finally approach the gas station on 145th street that had some gas and here's what it looked like. here's what it soinded like from the frustrated people who just wanted to get a couple of gallons. >> you have to shut down three gas stations. >> what do you mean you shut down three of them? >> was on line at three gas stations they all closed down when i went through. >> this is your fourth try. >> fourth and missed a day of work. >> we come from jersey. took us probably three hours to get into the city. no gas there. and just to stay, it's a shame. >> so you got cars that are now

stranded because we're just plain-old running out of gas. and it's huge. it is a dire, dire situation. you mentioned the carpooling. that will happen today again across the area. bridges, and at the foot of the brooklyn bridge where yesterday pedestrian traffic was certainly very, very high and i expect it to be even higher today, considering the gas situation. john? >> it's zoraida here. so rob, what's the latest on the power being restored in lower manhattan and spots like hoboken, new jersey? >> yeah, you know, when we first talked a few days ago they said four days but it will come on sporadically. we haven't seen much of it come on with the exception of the freedom tower is lit up. i don't know if they've plugged into the battery park city grid or not. today or tomorrow they're saying lower manhattan. and then some of the outer boroughs and the western counties still as much as a week longer, and that's also included in new jersey. so, huge issues there, because especially in mid and high rise

places where elderly people are 15, 20 stories, getting up and down stairs to get their supplies. and by the way, i haven't seen much in the way of food or water distribution sites like you normally would in a storm zone. and the city of new york finally announced today at 1:00 p.m. they're going to open up distributions centers across manhattan, queens and brooklyn and staten island, with some free food and water to get it to the people who need it. because at this point, day four now, food and water is desperately needed in some parts of the storm zone, zoraida. >> i know we listened earlier, a woman was pleading for help because she is concerned about the fact that they can't move around because the cars are -- are stuck. they have no food. they have no water. and something that you've been talking about, is the temperatures. so how are they going to stay warm? she's worried about surviving, especially for the elderly. >> yeah. no, that goes without saying. today it's a few degrees colder than yesterday. and i think saturday and sunday will be even colder than today.

in some spots, especially outside of the city, you're looking at temperatures that will approach freezing mark. so that is just one more layer of survival that these folks are going to have to tackle. just do whatever they can to just stay warm, build a fire, obviously propane heaters if they have that sort of fuel. those are dangerous in their own right. so it's going to get dicey here the next couple of days and in some cases it will be a week before power and heat is restored. alexandra mentioned the next storm possibly coming wednesday or thursday and she'll talk more about that in the back half hour of this show. >> all right. rob marciano live for us. thank you so much. we appreciate you this morning. >> the gas shortages are not the only problem facing residents of the garden state right now. in between tours of the devastated neighborhoods where he's trying to comfort people who lost everything, governor christie signed an executive order declaring a state of water emergency. which clears the way for water usage across that state. >> total devastation. those are the words used by the

police chief of the jersey shore resort town of sea hyde heights to describe the place where he has lived his entire life. two piers that had been amu amusement parks that provided memories for generations collapsed in the storm, dumping the jet star roller coaster and other rides right into the sea. >> so many people want to help and for more information about superstorm sandy and what you can do yourself to help those affected, please come visit cnn.com/impact. >> there is so much help needed. and now there's word of another storm that could be headed for the northeast. rob marciano was just talking about it. let's go to alexandra steele for the very latest there. good morning to you. >> hi, good morning, guys. you know our computer models will show superstorm sandy now they've got a nor'easter for election day. historically weather can and has impacted election. this is today. this is not the nor'easter. area of low pressure develops here in the southeast. this is tuesday, and it has it

right on virginia at this point. of course, a very key state. last couple of days, a little bit farther north. a little bit west toward ohio, pennsylvania being impacted. the latest run has it smack on virginia on tuesday. and then really kind of becoming much more of a powerhouse for wednesday. so again historically rain and snow foul weather impacts elections and voter turnout. an inch of rain. about an inch lower for now. inch of snow about a half a percent. foul weather also seems to favor republicans. democrats to get out less if there's foul weather. republicans, even if there's foul weather more apt to go to the voting booth. the wild card this year, millions still dealing without power. so how will voters react in the northeast? power outages there, storm damage there. the obstructed travel that's there. so will that mitigate their desire to go to the polls when they have so many other issues at hand? also, rob was out there talking about how cold it's going to be. it's cold, and it's only getting

colder. look on tuesday, these are high temperatures. only in the low to mid 40s. so waking up in the morning, heading to work, you're certainly not going to want to get out with temperatures in the 30s. so cold weather. certainly could be impactful on election day on tuesday. with temperatures well below average. of course, you guys, exacerbated by all the troubles in the northeast. we'll have to wait and see how it all pans out. >> terrible. we're worried about a lot of folks and their safety. thank you very much, alexandra. still to come, jobs in the spin zone. how the obama and romney campaigns are likely to spin the jobs report, no matter what the numbers are. introducing the all-new completely re-imagined 2013 chevrolet malibu. sleek new styling... sophisticated dual cockpit design, and sport sculpted seats. available chevrolet mylink infotainment system. the all-new 2013 chevrolet malibu. ♪ refined comfort to get you in a malibu state of mind

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we're minding your business this morning. we're talking about the political spin on the jobs numbers. >> and make no mistake, today's employment report may be the key to deciding who wins the election. christine romans is here to explain for voters, it may come down to which candidate's perspective makes the most sense. you created spin for both. >> i have a little parlor game i do whenever she's numbers come out. i'm usually reporting them to you and in the back of my mind i'm thinking what is the romney press release going to sound like and what is the obama press release going to sound like? and i'm usually pretty close. i'm real fun at a party. i want to talk about two numbers within these numbers, that favor team obama. these are the charts, if you will, that the obama spinners would like you to look at. the national unemployment rate has been falling.

it has -- it went up after he took office. it was 7.8% when he took office, went up to 10% and now it's back to 7.8%. that is favor team -- favorite for team obama. and jobs creation back to 2008. the obama campaign likes to put out when the president took office, and the surrogates say we were losing 700,000, 800,000 jobs. end of the bush administration, into the beginning of the obama administration. but now we have been seeing jobs created. so those are the two charts you want to spin it for the president. now let's spin it for romney, if you will. the underemployment rate. you heard him talk about this many, many times. 14.7% is the underemployment rate. some people call this the real unemployment rate. what is it? unemployed workers, discouraged workers, people who would like to look for a job but they just dropped out, marginally attached to the labor force, and people who are employed part-time but want to be working full-time. there's another number here.

the labor force participation rate. say that ten times fast. 63.6%. the lowest since 1981. what is this? you can see it's not improving. it's getting worse. it's getting worse. and this is a number that romney has used on the campaign trail a couple of times. this is people who have just given up. only 63% of the civilian working-age population is working for a job. the lowest since '81 and that hasn't been improving. that's not showing the kinds of gains that you've been seeing or improvement you've seen in the unemployment rate. those are the two spins. four charts, each of them tell a very different picture about where we are. >> what's the one thing you need to know about your money? >> today, stock futures are flat but we had a very good rally yesterday. big rally for stocks, up 136 points. biggest gain in seven weeks. consumer confidence is a big part of that. we are days away from an election. we're agonizing about the jobs market. some of these little signals in the economy that we support hurricane sandy. looking better.

>> thanks for that. the big jobs report now just about two hours away. could a tick in unemployment cause a change in the polls in crunch time? congressman michael burgess talks about the political implications. that is coming up next.

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a big, big day. we're just 2 1/2 hours away now from the final jobs report before next week's election. presidential election. the big one. most economists are predicting a similar outcome with jobs from last month. but there's no question that job growth has been sluggish. that report getting a lot of attention from both sides now that both candidates are out on the campaign trail. >> in the closing weeks of this campaign governor romney has been using all his fortunately idable talents as a salesman to dress up the very same policies that failed our country so badly, very same policies we've been cleaning up after these last four years, and he's offering them up as change. >> a lot of people who are hurting. and they don't want to see another four years like the last four years. i mean do you want to see four more years with 23 million americans looking for a good job? >> joining us now to talk about all this from fort worth, texas, is republican congressman michael burgess, the chairman of the congressional health care

caucus. congressman, cnn right now is expecting payroll gains of about 125,000. the employment rate essentially stay the same, maybe pick up to 7.9%. if the change is really this small, do you think it will affect the election with just four days to go? >> john, thank you for having me on. first off let me just say, as a state that's suffered its share of tropical storm damage, we feel your pain and we are all praying for you and pulling for you. it was a very tough piece you had leading into this segment and i know how upset recovery can be. you've got some long days ahead of you. on the employment numbers, you could argue that last month's employment numbers were probably more important than this month's, because i went to an event last night in flower mound, texas, and i was the only one in the room who hasn't voted. a lot of people have taken advantage of early voting and the die has already been cast in

their minds. i don't expect these numbers to change a lot from last month, and then, of course, you've seen the momentum that governor romney has built up, that's arguably since that first debate, which is over the last month. so, will impact these numbers change much? probably not in a political discourse. because, again, there's so few people who are still really and truly trying to make up their minds in this election. you do see the momentum breaking for governor romney and you can feel it. out on the trail. and not just impacts, but i was in western -- sorry, eastern kentucky earlier this week, and a district there for congressional candidates, the district basically drawn to elect a democrat, and it's very likely to go for mr. barr, the republican this time. and why? it's in the middle of coal country and everyone there is all concerned about the future of coal with the coal industry. a man in a small manufacturing plant said, you know, i'm getting lots of requests for proposals but i'm not writing

any orders because everyone's in a defensive crouch waiting for the election and that's really the bigger story in the economy. is the number of people who are waiting to see if impact change is really going to come to america. >> three things. first of all, thank you very much for your kind words. they mean a lot to us here in the tristate area. number two, on the subject of momentum, there are just as many democrats as republicans right now claiming that they have the momentum, they're playing to a lot of these swing state polls, including recent ones from cnn which show the president with consistent leads in many of the swing states. we'll leave that there, though. the third thing at cnn, we're lucky enough to have some brand-new op-eds written by both candidates. we just posted them on our website, cnn.com. we're the only ones who have these. let me read you a couple of excerpts. both candidates are talking about bipartisanship. first from president obama. he says when hardship hits, america is at its best. the petty differences that consume us in normal times quickly melt away. there are no democrats, or republicans, during the storm, only fellow americans.

that's how we get through the most trying times together. the president talking about bipartisanship. the same subject that mitt romney tries to highlight in his op-ed, listen to this. we've watched as one party pushed through its agenda without compromising with the other guy. the bickering has to end. i will end it. i will reach across the aisle to solve america's problems. this has been a pretty partisan election just like every other. now you have both guys blaming bipartisanship. i imagine you think your guy has a better argument. >> oh, of course i do. in fact, in president obama's case it isn't even a question of reaching across the aisle for many instances, he's absolutely ignored the legislative branch in this entirety. not just when republicans were in the house of representatives, this is going back to his own health care law that he pushed through, basically ignoring house democrats in the process. so the administration doesn't have a good track record in this regard. certainly there are people who have reached out to the administration.

i'm waiting for several phone calls to be answered from the white house and i've been waiting for months. you know -- >> on the screen while you were talking was a picture of the president, president obama walking with republican governor chris christie, the two of them who've given each other a lot of credit for working to the through this storm as a sign many people are taking of bipartisanship. but i do also want to talk about mayor michael bloomberg, who was once a democrat, then a republican, now an independent. so i guess, claiming multipartisanship mantle in some ways. he did something surprising yesterday. he endorsed president obama after saying a couple weeks ago he wasn't going to endorse at all. i'm wondering if you think that's significant? >> well, you know, the interests thing about that was i thought he already had. so it was news to me that he hadn't before tuesday. look, you and i both know endorsements always will get you about half someone's friends and all of their enemies. it's not something that always

carries a lot of help. but honestly, the bipartisanship on the part of the president, sure you welcome that. but where has it been for the last three years and ten months? we need a president who kind of understands something about business creation. the fact the president would talk about creating a new cabinet position for a business secretary. for heaven's sakes he's got a secretary of commerce who unfortunately his acting secretary never held a job in the private sector so that's problematic. the president's economic team from day one has really left a lot to be desired because, most of them have not spent any time in the private sector. >> congressman, i've got to go here. thank you very much. thank you again for your kind words. congressman michael burgess in fort worth, texas. great to talk to you this morning. later on "starting point" we're going to have grover norquist, sheila bair, robert gibbs, ken rogoff. they're going to talk to soledad about the all-important jobs report which comes out at 8:30 eastern time. and the cnn team of christine romans, ali velshi, erin burnett and candy crowley, all-star cast

for this big moment. >> and that jobs report coming up at 8:30. we'll bring them to you live on "starting point" with soledad o'brien. >> and if that's not enough at 9:00 a.m. eastern, ali and christine will host a one-hour special analyzing the final jobs report before the big vote and what it all means to the upcoming presidential election. which is tuesday, by the way, if no one told you. >> all right. 38 minutes past the hour. every vote counts. especially during this presidential election. so we asked some early voters to share their stories. who they voted for, and we also wanted to know why. we are calling them votergraphs. first up, mitt romney voter michelle, who is studying abroad in sweden. she said she voted early because she is out of the country and her big issues, the economy and the national debt. >> and this is voter sanjay from sri lanka originally. he voted for president obama. he also said he took his 88-year-old mother-in-law and 98-year-old father-in-law to vote because they may not get any more chances to share the experience. >> those are pictures of them?

they look awfully young. >> his big issue, social programs that give lower income earners a boost. send us your votergraph, the address is cnn.com/earlystart. >> it is the candidates' final push before the big vote. what's the focus of the campaign? will battleground states hold some big surprises? anderson cooper takes a closer look. watch america's choice 2012, countdown to election day sunday night at 8:00 eastern. >> and there is still so much news about the storm sandy. up next on "early start," they took a massive hit from the storm. now some people in staten island, new york, they're just begging federal officials for help. they feel like they're borough's just been forgotten. we're going to take you there for a live update coming next. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth. i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry.

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soledad o'brien here for a look at what's ahead on "starting point." a lot. >> we're going to continue to talk about jobs this morning. less than two hours the most crucial employment report. president obama's term in office. governor romney -- if hiring goes up. it could seal the deal for a second term. we've got the story covered on all angles. this morning we talk with robert gibbs of the obama campaign. republican greg walden is going to join us, as will. grover norquist, the president of the americans for tax reform. also this morning, harvard university economics and public policy professor ken rogoff will be joining us. sheila bair, the former fdic chairperson will join us. also we'll continue to update you with sandy, the aftermath there. the destruction unfortunately still being felt.

millions of people without power. and gas is a huge, huge problem. people very frustrated. reporters all over the story for you this morning. >> all right. thank you, soledad. you need a bigger table this morning. there are a lot of guests on there. 43 minutes past the hour. today top fema officials and homeland security secretary janet napolitano will assess the damage on new york's staten island and they can expect an earful. new york senator chuck schumer and congressman michael grimm toured the devastation on thursday and they met with residents who pleaded for more help from the government. yesterday, the bodies of two young boys, ages 2 and 4, were found there. they were swept away from their mother's arms during the storm after her suv got stuck. horrific story. brian todd is live on staten island, and brian, why don't you show us around. >> zoraida, this is the new

beach neighborhood on staten island. it is as if the storm maybe passed through here a couple of hours ago. we're four days out and it's still like a war zone. this is kind of a typical scene in this neighborhood. people just putting any items that they want to try to salvage out in the front of their yards here. this is a small candle holder. you've got a bird bath here that someone laid out with hangers on it. just any kind of item that they think they might be able to salvage they're putting in their front yard. there's a table and chairs here for people to kind of -- they're putting items on and hoping that relatives may come and pick them up. when you zoom out you'll see what was left of this house, which isn't much. we're told that an elderly couple lived here. we're also told by neighbors that they got out. that they were not hurt. so that's a great thing. but obviously, what's left of their house is really not much. it's a total loss, as appears here. and you know, there's a collapsed roof back there. the entire thing beyond that roof is pretty much leveled, as you can see. and residents here really feel cut off in a lot of ways.

because there's no power or water, obviously. but they also feel that relief officials just have not been fast enough to get to their needs. here's one very frustrated resident who we spoke to yesterday. >> we're going to die, if we get killed with the weather we're going to die. we're going to freeze! we've got 90-year-old people! >> -- this afternoon right on -- >> please. >> we have no cars. don't you see? we need -- please. president obama, please listen to us down here. we are going to die. you don't understand. you've got to get the trucks here on the corner. now! this is three days. >> now, in addition to that resident and others here who have complained about the lack of response, slow response, the borough president also complained about that yesterday. he really took out some of his

ire on the red cross for not showing up on time. we were told yesterday that the red cross did start to arrive yesterday and that fema started to have a presence on the ground now, as well. >> i hope that they start getting some help really soon there. thank you so much, brian todd, live on staten island for us. so hard to watch that, isn't it? >> amazing pictures this morning. >> still to come, the unemployed and the election. how job seekers in swing states could be the deciding factor in the presidential race. and how the candidates are betting on vegas. [ male announcer ] when was the last time something made your jaw drop?

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the wheels of progress. seems they haven't been moving much lately. but things are starting to turn around because of business people like you. and regions is here to help. with the experience and service to keep things rolling. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together.

welcome back. 50 minutes past the hour. nevada is one of the final battleground states sure to

decide who occupies the white house in january. >> and with the sky-high unemployment rate we thought it would be a good idea to send miguel marquez to the top of the stratosphere on the vegas strip. you've been to five swing states recently. how important is the jobless rate, would you say, to voters in nevada and maybe how they're going to determine their vote? >> perhaps nowhere more important than the entire country. and it was, you know, the unemployment rate here in nevada is the -- that is the shining city. the strip here in las vegas. this place glitters. the recession certainly took the glitter off this city. but as we're discovering it's just starting to creep back. here we are, top of the stratosphere in vegas, baby. about 70% of the votes in the state are right here in clark county. as this county goes.

in a city that fell harder and faster than just about any place in the country. >> this better be a very close election. >> the stratosphere, like all vegas, suffered the worst of the recession. >> at some point you had to make a decision, either go big or stay home. shut down. the vegas landmark sunk more than $20 million into upgrades, including a enthusiast restaurant with that sky jump thing. most importantly more than 100 new jobs. do you think las vegas is through the worst of it? >> it feels like it. i drive to work every day. i see stuff going on that i haven't seen for a little while. >> seems like construction and homes being built in a place that once had the nation's highest foreclosure rate. >> there you go, yeah! >> vegas' decline and rise by a sort of entree index.

how many dinners were you doing? >> we were doing as low as 250 and 400. now we're doing between 450 and 700 a night. big, big recovery. >> this is an important state, you know. for our county, especially. >> comedy icon and clark county voter louie anderson, who does four shows a week at the palace station. >> how do you spell ron paul? >> says the city is struggling back but he knows just how torn the country is. >> i think it's hard to be excited about obama, if you have not worked. and i love obama. i understand the appeal of romney in this situation. >> like voters everywhere he is tired of the campaign. >> obama has been here more than celine dion has. >> but hopeful that results, not politics, tops the agenda come january. >> if we're going to have the great country we had once, this is not going to be a democrat or republican thing. this is going to be an every single american thing. >> now, if the jobs rate is the

biggest concern across nevada it's even bigger here in clark county. the unemployment rate here, 12.3%. they will be watching very closely. back to you guys. >> all right, miguel marquez in las vegas. your entire experience has been fantastic. thanks for being with us the last few days. coming up in just a little bit, our best advice. stay with us. why should saturday night have all the fun? get two times the points on dining in restaurants, with chase sapphire preferred. [ male announcer ] from our nation's networks... ♪ ...to our city streets... ♪ ...to skies around the world... ♪ ...northrop grumman's security solutions are invisibly at work, protecting people's lives... [ soldier ] move out! [ male announcer ] ...without their even knowing it.

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why not get buried in] something other than work? get two times the points on travel, with chase sapphire preferred. 57 minutes past the hour. we wrap it up as always with best advice. >> best advice for jobs today, today hear from honored war veteran and "dancing with the stars winner." >> the best advice that i have received was from a friend of mine when i started doing

speaking, which was back in like 2004, and he said, when you're -- your story becomes less about you, and more about other people, that's when you know, like you're at that stage you're doing good things. and essentially, you got to expand on that but pretty much he was just saying, you know, to listen to what other people have to say. everybody has a story. everybody has been through something in their life, and sometimes really honestly, as difficult as it may be, take a step back and think about, to an extent, like what their life is. and that to me is i always carried it with me. >> be a good listener. that's really interesting advice. and you're talking, remember you should be listening. obviously, my grandmother, two ears and one mouth, act accordingly. you have two ears, and one mouth. listen twice. >> that's great advice. j.r. martinez is a great guy.

i'm john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. "starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. good morning, welcome, everybody. our "starting point" this morning, the crucial employment report. the most critical jobs report of president obama's time in office will be released in 90 minutes. final report before election day. we'll take a look at the state of hiring and the unemployment number and the impact on the presidential election. plus the president and governor romney both take their final battles to the state of ohio. with just four days left to the election. how will voters there react to the new numbers? and sandy's destruction still far from over. millions of people still in the cold and dark. many don't have food. don't have a place to live. gas lines getting out of control they're so long. going to have live reports for you this morning. all over these stories with complete coverage from our own business correspondent christine romans. chief business correspondent ali velshi. sheila bair, the former chair of the fdic. grover norquist is the president